Looking Under The Hood

It's not that I am technically depraved. My brain just has an annoying habit of misplacing information. It's difficult to coax information out of it until it's good and ready. So, here I am, blogging instructions. I find this an effective backup to my elusive memory.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Once you've registered for and activated your Passport Seva Account, you are ready to start filling the online registration form.

Activating your account takes you to the page shown below. From the list of options under Applicant Home click on 'Apply for Fresh Passport/Re-issue of Passport.

You'll find yourself on page that looks like the one below. We are only interested in filling an online application. So, click on the link under Alternative 2. I've boxed it in red for easier identification.

Step 1: Choose your state and district from the drop down list.

Step 2: Net comes Passport type. Choose the appropriate radio buttons or tick the right boxes as shown below and click 'next'. Note - Unless this is the first time you are applying for a passport, you have to choose re-issue.

Step 3: Clicking on 'Next' takes you to the applicant details page. When filling the date of birth from the calendar to the right, first choose the year, then the month and finally the date. You'll be able to fill the date correctly only if you follow this sequence. The rest of the details is mainly routine stuff. Remember to click on 'Save my Details' before clicking on 'Next' as you complete each page. Otherwise, if for some reason your computer gets turned off or your internet is not working, you'll have to start from scratch. Also, the next and prev buttons at the bottom help you navigate back and forth between pages.

So, if you've made a mistake, don't worry about it. You can always go back and correct it.

It is compulsory to fill in details in the boxes if there's a red asterisk. Others are optional. For instance, you don't have to give your surname, but you must fill in your given name.

Step 4: Fill in the appropriate family details. They will appear on the last page of your passport.

You won't find any hurdles filling out the rest of the form. Read through the form once again to check for errors and submit.

Sign up for SMS alerts, they come in handy when it's time to collect your passport and finally, click submit.

The next step is paying the fee.

Note: Now that you've activated your account you can click on 'Existing user' on the Passport Seva Page and login. Also, you don't have to fill in the entire form in one go. If you are called away and find that you've been logged out, simply login in again with your user id and password. On the webpage that appears on the screen, from the list under services, choose 'View Saved/Submitted Applications'.